Gnawing
by Sara Jaye
Summary: Every now and then it would bite at the back of his mind and drive him crazy. Tonight was one of those nights. IkexSoren, preslashy.


Soren being bothered by thunder...admittedly is not my own idea. I read it in LadyDragonStarr's fic Thunder, and I thought it made sense. Soren's half-dragon laguz, and dragon laguz are weak to thunder. But that's not even the main point of this fic, lol.

* * *

He couldn't sleep. For some reason, he just couldn't sleep. Granted, there was a nasty thunderstorm going on outside, but it wasn't exactly bothering him. Even Rolf and Mist had fallen asleep after some token complaining. No, it was something else. Something was bugging him and he just couldn't place it.

This seemed to happen a lot lately, he noticed. Every now and then something would gnaw at the back of his mind and it would drive him crazy for days until he gave up and stopped trying to figure it out. Nobody else knew about this, even Father and Mist. Maybe it would go away on its own, at least he hoped it would.

The thunder rumbled and he heard a pained grumble from the bedroll across from his. _Soren_. For some reason, Soren was easily bothered by thunderstorms. Like Ike, he tried to keep his problem secret from the others, but somehow Ike could always figure it out. Somehow, Soren was the person who knew him best outside his own family, even though they'd only known each other for..._argh!_ There it was again, that gnawing in the back of his mind.

"_Damn_ it!"

"Ike?"

"Oh..." Ike groaned. "Sorry, Soren."

"It's okay." Soren sat up, brushing his messy ponytail over one shoulder. "I couldn't sleep, anyway."

"That's something we've got in common," Ike mumbled. "Come, sit with me." Soren didn't need to be asked twice; he rolled out of bed and padded across the room to sit down beside him. Ike moved closer, wrapping an arm around him; Soren's presence always seemed to calm him, and Soren always seemed to relax more with him.

"Oh...thank you, Ike." Soren leaned against him, still shivering. "Did you want to talk, or..."

"I don't know." Ike sighed. "It's kind of hard to describe."

"Try me." Soren looked up at him and the gnawing began anew, worse than before. _No, it's nothing to do with Soren, it can't be. He's my best friend. Ever since..._

"I don't know! That's literally it, I don't know! I can't remember, I don't know anything and I just don't _know!_" The words burst from him and throat suddenly felt tight, Soren was very close and his eyes were so concerned and Ike felt worse than ever. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "It's just too hard. I can't figure it out, I'm sorry, I-"

Soren's hand grasped his, squeezing tightly as the thunder outside rumbled loudly. He felt the young mage trembling against him and his own heart pounding in his chest. They were both terrified of something they couldn't control, but Soren was putting his own fears aside for Ike's sake and Ike couldn't decide whether he felt touched or guilty. The thunder passed, Soren's body relaxed and Ike sighed.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I-"

"It's okay." Soren's grip loosened; slender fingers stroked the back of his hand and the gnawing feeling was replaced with warmth. "When you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Soren." Ike managed a tired smile. It didn't matter how long they'd been friends or how they'd met. He was just thankful to have Soren in his life. The mage nodded, letting to of Ike completely.

"You should sleep now," he said. "You've been tired lately, and sooner or later people are going to notice."

"So should you." Ike smiled, stifling a yawn. "Why don't you sleep in my bed tonight? I...think both of us need it."

"Actually, seeing as it is rather cold it would be most logical," Soren said; even in the darkness Ike could see he was blushing a little. "Body heat is warmest, after all."

"Thanks." They slid under the blankets together, Soren's body just barely touching his and Ike's arm thrown carefully across Soren's waist. Something about this felt right, being this close...maybe it was the warmth, maybe it was their shared discomfort. All Ike knew was that gnawing feeling was gone, and he had Soren to thank for it. "G'night, Soren."

"Sleep well, Ike."

He didn't dream that night, and the next morning he was only aware of Soren's warmth beside him.


End file.
